Music

Music at St. Anne's

Music at St. Anne’s brings people together. It supports and focuses the whole community as we join our voices to worship God.

St. Anne’s has a long history of presenting major choral works, annual musical theatre productions, and concerts, and a history of partners who share with us in presenting music to the wider community. Music is part of the DNA at St. Anne’s.

Under the leadership of music director John-Luke Addison, the St. Anne’s music program is ambitious and versatile across many genres and styles of music, with a solid anchor in the classical choir repertoire of hymns and anthems.

Check out the calendar for our current music season below.

St. Anne's Choir - Now welcoming new Members!

CALL FOR SINGERS! St. Anne's Anglican Church, with its beautiful setting of Group of Seven art and Byzantine architecture, is one of the most attractive visual and auditory experiences to sing in. The semi-professional chancel choir, made up of approximately 30 voices, is quickly becoming one of the finest and most versatile choral ensembles in the city, as we perform mixed repertoire from Renaissance music to modern anthems. Some of our past concerts include Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna, Bruckner's Requiem, John Rutter's Magnificat, Handel's Messiah, Gjeilo's Sunrise Mass, and The Gospel Messiah. Upcoming concerts include Purcell's Ode to St. Cecilia, and Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. All are welcome to audition! Sunday services are at 10:30am, and choir rehearsals are Thursday evenings at 7:30pm. Please contact Director of Music, John-Luke Addison at music@saintanne.ca.

Gilbert & Sullivan's Comic Operas

St. Anne’s Music & Drama Society, in its 55th year, will present Gilbert & Sullivan’s Ruddigore from January 26 to February 4, 2017 in the Parish Hall, 651 Dufferin Street. There will be four evening and four matinee performances at 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. respectively.

"Ruddigore, or The Witch's Curse" was the 10th collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan. The "supernatural opera" opened on January 21, 1887 at the Savoy Theatre and ran for 288 performances. The opera is a parody of the stock melodrama — the villain who carries off the maiden; the priggishly good-mannered poor-but-virtuous-heroine; the hero in disguise, and his faithful old retainer who dreams of their former glory days; the snake in the grass who claims to be following his heart; the wild, mad girl; the swagger of fire-eating patriotism; ghosts coming to life to enforce a curse; and so forth. But as one critic noted, Gilbert turns the moral absolutes of melodrama upside down: Good becomes bad, bad becomes good, and heroes take the easy way out.

MADS performances are professionally costumed, skillfully staged with a large chorus, and musically enhanced by an 18-piece orchestra. Tickets will be available from November 1, 2017 at 416.922.4415. For further information, please email royschatz@bell.net. You will soon be able to view or download an order form, which gives information about prices and timing, by visiting our downloads page (scroll down to the Music at St. Anne's section).

Partners in Music

St. Anne's welcomes partnership in music and the arts, and we are delighted to introduce our community music partners.

The Junction Trio

The St. Anne’s Ensemble-in-Residence is a versatile and accomplished trio, founded in the spirit of a shared love of music-making. The music is always accessible, and you can expect to be surprised. Join musicians Jamie Thompson, flute, Ivana Popovic, violin, Janusz Borowiec, cello, and their special guests for innovative and engaging musical events.

Concerts by the Junction Trio present a range of styles of music from Bach, Scriabin and Vivaldi through to contemporary composers and a wide range of instrumental accompaniment, such as pots and pans, theramin,and found objects. The Junction Trio seeks to de-mystify classical music through humour and juxtaposition.

The Junction Trio join us for occasional Sunday services. Concerts at St. Anne’s are supported by donation (PWC – “Pay What You Can” – suggested amount $20/person).

Gaia Voice

Gaia Voice is a women's singing class and gathering founded in 2009 by Leah Salomaa. The purpose of the group is to study voice and experience unison and harmony singing from 'the ground up'. Women in this group are encouraged to find their natural voice and celebrate their connection to the earth cycles around them. Practice includes: classical vocal exercises, breathing, sounding, singing in rounds, songs from the Celtic, Folk, North American, Pop, Sacred Choral, Madrigal and Goddess circle song traditions.

Leah Salomaa is an experienced teacher, circle leader and active professional recording artist and performer. She guides participants with patience, calm and nurturing energy. “The more in tune we can get with our creative gifts and the natural world around us, the more we can be of service to heal, inspire and grow together.”

The song circle meets monthly at St. Anne's, offers annual intensive training weeks, and joins the St. Anne’s community on an occasional basis for worship and concerts.

Concerts and Recordings

St. Anne's is delighted to partner with choirs and musical groups for concerts. The church has wonderful acoustics for professional recordings.